


I Won't Stay Silent

by DarkMage13



Series: Reylo Novellas/Longfics [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aladdin AU, Attraction, Disney-Style Romance, F/M, First Kiss, Hard T Rating, Luke is done with the two idiots, Making Out, Minor GingerRose, Mutual Pining, No Pregnancy, Prince Ben Solo, Reylo Fairytale Romance, Scavenger Rey (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22815280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMage13/pseuds/DarkMage13
Summary: Rey was a scavenger on the streets, stealing food when she could, giving most of her share to urchins and to her friends. A true diamond in the rough.To her constant misfortune—or perhaps her luck, she bumps into a runaway prince who hates his life inside a gilded cage. Her world turned on its head with a grumpy genie in a lamp, she is on an adventure to free Prince Ben Solo from his cage of loneliness and isolation, while also finding acceptance within herself.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Reylo Novellas/Longfics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055786
Comments: 26
Kudos: 55





	1. Arabian Knights

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by this [art](https://twitter.com/selunchen/status/1229789009397846017) by selunchen. It's so beautiful and my brain just ran with ideas.
> 
> So here it is, a Reylo Aladdin AU. I hope you like it!

_Chapter 1: Arabian Knights_

* * *

"You are late," the hooded figure on his horse spoke to one of his six knights with not an ounce of emotion or care in his voice.

"A thousand apologies, my liege," the late knight answered to his master with a bow of his head.

Turning to the large rocky cliffside before them, the man dismounted and looked down at the trinket in his hand. A red ruby shimmered, reflecting the clear bespectacled sky above and his own glinting dark eyes—the only feature one could see underneath his hood and his matted black cowl. He lifted the ruby up and let it reflect the crescent moon above.

A rumble shifted the sands beneath his feet. The rocky cliff crackled and shook. A face in the rock formed of an indiscernible beast with fangs as tall as the man in black robes.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" the booming voice of the creature said with such force the sand vibrated around the six knights and their leader.

"You hold something that belongs to me," the man said, raising his voice loud enough for the beast to hear.

The glowing eyes of the beast narrowed at him. "Only one may enter. One who is lesser but much more within. A diamond in the rough."

The man's temper flared. "I was told…"

"You were told wrong. Seek thee out the diamond in the rough. Begone!"

And the beast went back to sleep, their mouth closed and cutting off any other way of entering the mouth of the monster.

Anger mixed with an unnerved feeling led to the man drawing his sword and stomping off to strike at a boulder, his screams of rage shaking the night.

Failure. There was failure, and his own master would not be happy upon his return.

For how would the Prince of Alderaan be free of his chains without the lamp held within the cave?

* * *

The six knights escorted their prince back to the capital city, marching through the empty streets right up to the main gate. The guards, recognizing the seven figures in black, allowed them into the courtyard.

To greet them was the Royal Vizier, a wrinkled man in dark grey and gold robes.

The prince dismissed his six knights once he dismounted his horse. "Master Snoke," he greeted his teacher.

"Where is the lamp?" Snoke asked, his raspy voice unsettling in the early morning air.

"I did not retrieve it."

Snoke's eyes flared with anger. "Pathetic child. You were to bring the lamp to me and yet you failed. How do you even expect to get what you wish if you cannot fulfill one task!" He stomped the end of his staff onto the stone of the courtyard.

The prince froze in place, pain simmering in his blood as his muscles involuntarily clenched. He gasped in pain. "I can get the lamp! I just need your guidance," the prince pleaded. "The cave spoke about a diamond in the rough. Only one may enter… And it is not me."

Snoke released him from the hold. "Then find this diamond! Lest your dreams be crushed within the next fortnight!"

"Yes… Master Snoke," the prince answered, trying to contain the shake in his voice.

Snoke turned and walked away, his golden staff of a snake shimmering in the darkness.

The prince stood up straight and tall, his body aching from fatigue. He climbed up the columns and the small indents of the walls, balancing on white stone ledges as he pulled himself up to his own balcony.

He pushed back the sheer black curtains and stumbled into his chambers with heavy feet. Pulling off his hood and his matted scarf, he was finally able to shake out his long black locks and breathe in the clean sand-less air. Removing the rest of his rugged black garb he shoved the disguise underneath his bed and fell onto his bed.

It was a restless sleep he had, for it was only a few hours of tossing and turning was there a knock at the door.

"Your Highness, I'd hate to interrupt your beauty sleep but your mother requests your presence at once."

Prince Ben groaned, rolling over on his large, luxurious bed. He knew exactly what all this nonsense was about. It only happened five other times before. Sitting up and dressing in black silk robes lined with gold, a circlet cresting his forehead, he stepped outside of his chambers to be faced with a very annoyed Armitage Hux; his own advisor.

"The dark rings underneath your eyes will not do, Your Highness," Hux berated him as they walked through the golden gilded halls of the palace.

Ben pushed his hand through his hair, irritation prickling at the back of his neck. "Does it really matter? We all know why my mother wants me in the audience chamber."

Hux rolled his eyes. "If you're not in prime shape that reflects on me."

Ben kept his mouth shut, too tired to argue how it reflected more on Ben's presence in the kingdom, but he found he could not care one bit. Everything would change anyways once he got his hands on the lamp.

It was his only hope.

Entering the main hall, Ben tugged at his high-collared shirt as the watchful gaze of Queen Leia observed his appearance.

"Ben," she spoke to him, a mix of disapproval and concern in her voice.

Ben walked up to his mother, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Mom."

Leia was dressed in shimmering silver robes, her greyed hair braided back around her head in a large bun. A diadem graced her forehead. "Your eyes…"

Ben stepped to the side of her throne. "I already received a lecture from Hux."

"As you should. Were you up late again?" she said with a frown. "Ben…"

His hands formed fists. "Can we just get this over with? What princess are you going to throw at me this time?"

Leia sighed. "A duchess from the Hosnian Empire. And before you protest, she is not dull. She's well-read and…"

"Mom…"

"Ben, you know that I'm only doing this for—"

"My own good. Yes. I heard it a thousand times before."

The doors opened. Both royals straightened their spines, but Ben kept his glare and obvious disdain in his expression.

A beautiful woman in a silk green gown entered, blonde hair curled to perfection with heavy jewels adorning her neck, wrists, and earrings.

"Queen Leia," she curtsied. "It is an honor."

"Likewise Duchess Gwen. This is my son, Prince Ben."

Ben was not one to scoff at a woman's beauty, but he still was not a fan of how he was forced into this awkwardness. He politely gave a bow of his head to her as she approached the throne's stairs.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

She was nobody. Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Rey watched from the rooftops above as the market was in full mid-afternoon swing. Rich spices, fresh catches of the day, and the soothing scents of flora graced her nose. She tucked in her loose ragged wraps, holding her trusted staff—a sturdy old carved piece of wood she had found one day in an abandoned house, and waited.

Patience was important, especially for one such as a street rat like her.

The kingdom of Alderaan was small, but it carried such beauty within. Right on the borders of their ally, Naboo, the tiny kingdom sat on the edge of the sea. The capital city bustled with life, children playing on the side of the walkways, merchants carrying their goods and cargo to and from the docks bordering the sea.

A food merchant selling fruits had his attention taken up by a woman, his back turned away from the side of the stall where mangos were precariously stacked.

Rey moved down from her perch, pulling her dusty beige hood up to obscure her three buns. She crouched down and maneuvered by the stall. The merchant was still talking to the woman. Reaching out with her staff, she gently pushed at the mangos at the bottom of the stack. One fell off the stack and into her hand. She poked at them again, another mango falling. Feeling bold, she took one more and quietly tucked herself into the back alley, mangos in her arm. Enough to feed her and then some urchins perhaps.

"Stop thief!"

Rey's eyes widened. She knew she shouldn't have taken the third one.

She broke out into a full-on sprint, leaping over boxes and bouncing off window shades until she got the high ground again. She took one look behind her to see the city guards in hot pursuit, trying to keep up with her pace. With a smug grin, she continued sprinting, leaping across the rooftops, rolling, tumbling, ducking under planks and heavy carpets on the ground to lose them.

Rey knew her speed far too well. She climbed up on a roof again, having enough time to improvise. She grabbed a rope and tied it to a pillar for support and leaped off the roof, swinging right into an open window.

A boy stared at her in surprise. She cringed. "Sorry about this." She moved out of the room through the other window. Landing on her feet on the dirt, she took off again. She couldn't hear the yells of the city guard anymore. Looking behind her and then above, Rey was about to let out a sigh of relief.

Then she ran right into someone. Someone very _tall_ and very _built._

"Ow, watch where you're going!"

Rey panicked as the man's hands grabbed her by the shoulders to steady himself. She looked up to see the man's face and was greeted with a hooded man in black, a matted cowl mostly wrapped around his neck and covering his mouth. Only his very dark eyes could be seen.

"I'm so sorry," she rushed out, nearly dropping her mangos in fear.

He still hadn't let her go. She noticed his chest was heaving, as if he was too, out of breath from extraneous activity.

"Stop thief!" guards shouted behind the man.

He took off running down an alleyway. Rey saw the guards spot her and she, of course, had no other choice but to flee as well in only one direction.

The man in black saw her right on his tail. "Why are you following me scavenger!?"

Rey didn't feel the need to justify herself to someone who called her scavenger, but she did anyway. "Because I'm not getting locked up because you got me caught!"

He leaped down to a lower path. Rey followed.

Obviously irritated with her chase, he turned immediately right and pulled her into an empty room, his gloved hand on her mouth to prevent the guards from hearing her. Footsteps passed but didn't stall, still chasing after the thieves but clearly having lost their path.

The man sighed in relief. Rey slapped his hand off her mouth. "What was that for?!" she demanded.

"You're welcome," he said in his deep voice. "I did you a favor."

She pushed herself away from him. "Did a scavenger a favor did you?"

He rolled his eyes. "An ungrateful scavenger."

"Excuse me? I was perfectly fine until I bumped into you. I never get caught and I don't plan to."

"Watch your words." He eyed the mangos still clutched in her grip. "You stole."

"Out of necessity."

She really wished she could rip that cowl off and see his face in its entirety.

"Why were you chased then, hmm?" she said, crossing her arms.

He held up a ruby in his palm. "Some idiot thought I pick-pocketed someone's precious jewel."

"Well did you?" She mocked.

He snorted. "This isn't easily owned by anyone."

She eyed the jewel. It glimmered to her, almost mesmerizing to her hazel eyes. So beautiful… So alluring.

So dull.

She looked away from the boring priceless jewel. "If you'll excuse me then, I have food to eat." Before she could even take one step out of the room he grabbed her by the waist. She forced herself to drop the mangos and pushed back, kicking at his shins.

"Wait a minute," he said, trying to stop her struggling.

She was not having it. "Let me go!"

He underestimated her strength, for she was able to turn the tides and force him off balance. The end result was her on top of him on the rough dusty floor.

In the midst of the scuffle, his hood fell off his head, and his cowl slid down his chest. Rey was rendered speechless as she gawked at him. His hair was like dark silk, finely combed through. His pale complexion was dotted with tiny moles, accompanied by a pair of very fine lips.

He was beyond gorgeous.

"W-Who are you?" Rey managed to stutter out, the reality of their position occurring to her.

"Kylo."


	2. One Jump Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unlikely stranger becomes much more to the scavenger Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm blown away by the support for this story! Thank you all so much! <3 It means a lot to me.

_Chapter 2: One Jump Ahead_

Ben didn't expect to have some idiot shout thief at him because he looked at the ruby in his hand. Nor did he expect his own guards to come running at him. And he certainly was not willing to go back to his own palace, not yet.

So he ran because that's what one did.

Most of all, he didn't expect a street rat—a mere _scavenger_ —to bump into him mid-run. And why was she following him?

It was a very tiring, long day as it was. Ben had to exchange some cordial responses with Duchess Gwen and allowed her to talk the entire time. He wasn't one for small talk, and it was definitely small talk. The night's earlier happenings weighed upon his mind. It was depressing that he was doomed to a life with a crown on his head and no freedom at all. If he only had gotten the lamp the one-sided conversation would be over sooner, and he would not be currently in the same room as a street rat, her on top of him.

"Kylo," she said his fake name with a breathless quality that rendered him speechless. His blood pounded in his red-tipped ears. His heartbeat accelerated.

The streak of light pouring into the room illuminated her freckles with a sunshine quality. Her hazel eyes were captivating, fiery with passion. The way she was practically telling him to go throw himself into the harbor when he rather rudely grabbed her, was somehow endearing to him.

The ruby in his hand was still hot to the touch. He blinked and remembered exactly why he stopped her from leaving.

"And your name?" he asked back.

She pursed her lips. "Rey."

_Rey._

His diamond in the rough.

How was he going to convince her to follow him to a cave in the desert and bring him a lamp?

She seemed to finally notice their awkward position and scrambled off of him. Sitting up, Ben tried to form coherent words, still bewitched by how illuminating this woman was.

"Do you… Have a place to go?" he asked her. "To hide from the guards? I'm afraid that accusation of thievery has put a target on my back."

Rey ran her tongue over her dry lips—practically making his breath catch in his throat. "Yes, I do." Picking up her mangos in her arms, she gestured out the door. "You know you could have just asked that instead of grabbing me," she huffed.

Ben plucked a mango into his hand from her arm. "Sorry. You need help carrying these."

She rolled her eyes. "If you insist."

Pulling his hood over his head, he followed after Rey who climbed onto the rooftops and hopped over ledge after ledge.

"Why do you need to steal?" he asked her, his curiosity shining through as they walked over the roofs. "Shouldn't you be able to eat without stealing?"

Rey looked at him with a shimmering sadness in her eyes. "If only. No one likes a street-rat scavenger dirtying their floors. I've stolen for as long as I remember."

That made him stop in his tracks. "Even as a child?"

"Yes. My parents left when I was four."

An awkward silence befell them. This curiosity to learn about Rey earned him guilt in return. How could a child be reduced to scavenging on the streets? How could this be left unchecked? They were prosperous yet Rey went day to day under the threat of arrest for simply surviving.

Why was this allowed? Vizier Snoke oversaw the city to alleviate his mother's duties with running the entire kingdom. Surely this was a mistake. A mere oversight.

"I…" What did one even say to that? "I am sorry."

Rey didn't even look at him. "It is what it is."

* * *

Rey wasn't sure what to make of Kylo, but she certainly wanted to learn about this mysterious man. How did he get his hands on that ruby? And how is it he was so effortlessly _beautiful?_ His hair was definitely not that of a commoner's on a good day.

He needed to hide from the guards true, but she couldn't help but hate herself for being swayed so easily by a pair of pretty eyes to show her own place. Something screamed at her to just simply refuse to lead him to her hideout, but there was hardly any reason for her to do so. Her hideout wasn't much; it didn't have anything to offer to thieves.

She had to laugh at herself inwardly. The thief was scared this man with the pretty eyes was a thief. Rey had nothing worth stealing anyway.

Arriving at a half-crumbled tall building, Rey grabbed a pole and took a few steps back, lining up with a hole in the wall across a large gap in a rather empty and quiet section of town.

"What are you doing?" Kylo asked her, eying her with concern underneath his hood.

Rey gave a smug grin. "Jumping. You do that, right?"

"Yes but…" he gestured to the large gap. "I am questioning the safety of this."

"Live a little Kylo. You're not the prince inside a lavish palace with everything handed to you now are you?" she joked, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

A pause. Then he rolled his own eyes. "Right."

Rey made her running jump and swung herself across the gap, clutching the pole for support and landing perfectly in the hole in the wall. She pushed the pole back to him. "You jump. I jump."

She knew he could leap well. He could run. Climb. He evaded the guards well enough with his sharp sense of direction. Kylo made the running start and made a rather graceful leap across the gap to her.

For such a tall man he was very controlled in every movement he made. Towering over her with a smug, playful expression, Kylo set the pole aside.

Rey looked away from him, trying to prevent herself from getting lost in his dark eyes. "Err my friend Rose is waiting."

He followed after her down a set of stairs and found a woman with her hair pinned up in a ponytail. She wore ragged clothes like Rey but was favoring more fabric in loose skirts. "Rey! Who is this?"

Rey took a step backward and gestured to Kylo. "Uh well, Rose this is…"

He took a perfect bow to her. "Kylo."

Rose nodded. "Nice to meet you." Her eyes flickered to Rey who was trying to mouth a sentence to her.

_I need to talk to you. Alone._

"A pleasure," he answered back. Rey raised an eyebrow at how formal he sounded.

Rose took Rey's cue and stepped aside. "Can you um, excuse me and Rey for a moment we need to um…?"

Rey held out her mango to her best friend.

"Deal with the mangos," Rose finished. "Rey likes to take them to the children."

Rey looked at Kylo for a moment, trying to discern his expression underneath his hood but failing. Rose grabbed her wrist and yanked her into a small room with a dusty ragged bed on the floor and streaks of light pouring in through the boarded window.

"Who is that? You never bring home a man before," Rose whispered. "Rey?"

"He followed me here," Rey said with a casual shrug, her own cheeks warm.

"He followed you?" Rose crossed her arms. "Rey, you led him here. I know you; if you were being followed you could have easily ditched him."

Rey sighed in annoyance. "There's something about him that I just… I want to figure him out."

"Is he hot?"

Rey's cheeks were burning to the touch now. "I didn't bring him here because of his pretty eyes! He's hiding from the guards like me. Someone falsely accused him of thievery."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Pretty eyes?"

Rey groaned in exasperation. "Not the point!"

Rose patted her friend's shoulder in response. "Fine, fine, but just be careful? I know you can kick anyone's butt but I am your friend and I will always be concerned about you."

With a sigh, Rey nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Rose."

Rose turned her around. "Now go get him." She shoved Rey out of the room, Rey gawking as she spotted Kylo at the top of the stairs.

Kylo had taken off his hood and adjusted his cowl so it wasn't covering his upper neck. He stared at the window, sunlight illuminating hints of dark brown in his ruffled hair. His robes were of all black, making his figure seem even taller and more imposing. In his hand was the ruby, a glimmer of light dancing off of the reflective surface.

"You're still here," Rey found herself saying after gawking for long enough.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kylo said.

Rey looked down at her hands. "I'm used to people leaving."

He looked at her, somehow, understanding what she truly meant. He held out his other hand to her, presenting a mango. "You forgot to take this."

She climbed up the stairs and took it. "Thank you for um, carrying it for me."

"You're welcome," Kylo said, his voice rather soft and gentle to her ears. Deep, yes, but very comforting to listen to. "I am sorry again for grabbing you like that."

She shrugged. "It's no big deal."

The two just stood there on the stairs, gazing at each other with the sun painting their cheeks.

"This is where you live?" Kylo shattered the silence.

Rey reminded herself that she brought him here to figure him out. "Yes. Just me and Rose." Brushing past him she led him up another flight of stairs to her loft. An opening in the wall covered by ragged maroon cloth swayed in a dusty breeze.

Kylo reached out with his gloved hand to brush the cloth aside. He stood in stunned silence, taking it all in.

"You have a better view," he stated, voice quieter than usual.

Rey set down her mango in her small basket of half-eaten stale bread. "It is a nice view of the palace, isn't it? It's so pretty. I envy those who live there. I wonder what it must be like to live in such splendor. Must be nice."

Kylo scoffed. "Yes if you like an overly-indulgent self-consuming large and empty house. Keep the view you have here, it's much better."

Rey crossed her arms. "Excuse me? What, do you live there?"

He stiffened in his posture. "Yes. I do."

That explained his hair. His impossibly soft and well groomed hair. "Are you some sort of servant or something then?"

"More like a prisoner, but yes, you could say I serve."

Rey stopped in her interrogation. Did he really feel like that? She would give anything to be able to work in the palace herself. A stable bed, stable meal, stable security. "Prisoner?" She took a step closer to Kylo. The sun was falling behind the horizon. "In a place like that? Did you escape from the dungeons?"

"No!" He snapped, then stopped himself from speaking more, relaxing his tense shoulders and leaning back on the wall by the open window. "Sorry. I am not an escapee from the dungeons. I am merely someone who lives in the palace and finds the entire place suffocating. All the time."

Rey reached up to brush a stray hair out of Kylo's face. "That sounds awful."

"You have more freedom than me."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes me: the scavenger who has to steal food constantly and hide from guards lest I be thrown into a dungeon to rot. It's not a free life."

"But you can go outside. You have the better vantage point. You can walk the streets without people stopping to gawk at you or treat you differently."

"You must be very out of touch, because people look at me," Rey said, gesturing to herself, "Because I'm nothing. A flea on someone's shoe. They only want me out of the way."

"You're… Nothing?" Kylo gazed at her with a dark alluring intensity. "How can they look at you and think that?"

Her eyes widened at the implied compliment. Did he just…

He cleared his throat. "I meant… That they shouldn't treat you like that. No one deserves it."

"And no one deserves to be a prisoner either," Rey said. "Is that why you're out here?"

Kylo rubbed his thumb over the ruby in his grip. "I… Yes. I want my freedom."

"Don't you already have it?"

"It's complicated." He lifted it up in front of her. The same dull jewel to her. "But this is the key. It's my only hope."

She eyed the jewel. "What does it do?"

Kylo opened his mouth to explain but was cut off by another voice not his own.

"It reveals the diamond in the rough, street rat."

Rey's eyes widened in horror as a man with sagging wrinkles in gold and grey robes stood in the main room, surrounded by guards.

"Snoke…" Kylo said, quietly. His hands reached up to grasp Rey's upper arms in a protective hold.

The old man tapped his staff twice to the floor. "You've done well, Highness. You found the diamond."

Rey stared in fear at the old man, eying up all the guards holding spears. All possible exits were blocked or out of reach.

How did she not notice these men coming into her hideout? She hoped Rose was okay or went unnoticed.

"Rey listen to me I…" Kylo was utterly speechless, trying to get his words out with strain. "You're the diamond in the rough and…"

"Arrest the girl for kidnapping."

Rey felt herself being pulled away from Kylo's grip. "Wait what? I kidnapped no one!"

"Snoke!" Kylo yelled. "She can be convinced! Let me…"

"You insolent idiotic boy. I will not let you fail me again with the jewel you covet so much is in your grasp. You cannot be trusted to deliver."

Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't talk to him that way!" she practically screamed, struggling to shake off the iron grip of the guards.

"Oh, she is a fiery spit of hope. No wonder she is the diamond. Take her away to the knights. I must speak with the prince alone."

Rey kicked and shoved at her guards. "Let me go!" She looked up into Kylo's eyes, pleading. "Who are you?"

"I'm sorry..." His posture slackened as if released from a hold. "I promise everything will be fine. You will treat her kindly, right, Vizier?" Kylo said, sneaking a glare at Vizier Snoke.

Snoke bowed. "Of course my prince. Nothing but kindness."

Somehow Rey wasn't convinced, not with how slow and slimy Snoke spoke. "I did nothing wrong! I would never hurt anyone!"

Snoke chuckled. "Says the thief."

Rey watched as Kylo stared at her with a helpless demeanor and sagged shoulders as if he had no choice but to let her be taken away unfairly.

But worse yet, as she was shoved out of the crumbled building and towards six horses with knights in black upon them, she realized one crucial thing.

Highness.

_Prince._

Kylo was the Prince of Alderaan, Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not posting this chapter sooner! Hopefully, I can get back to my regular-ish posting schedule.


	3. Simple Oil Lamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's life changes with one simple oil lamp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the support for this fic! Thank you all so much.

_Chapter 3: Simple Oil Lamp_

* * *

Ben hated Snoke more than anyone as he watched Rey be dragged away.

The pain from Snoke's spell still lingered in his throbbing muscles.

She was so much more within than he thought. When the ruby reacted to her in his hand, he hadn't really considered _why_ it reacted to her, only that it _did_. But he now knew, just from talking to her, why.

The food she stole wasn't entirely for her, Rose said as much. Rey also seemed lonely, even with her friend. There was something about how she carried herself that showed a lifetime of isolation and loneliness. She wasn't used to being touched; she seized up when he on pure instinct grabbed her both times.

Feeling trapped like a prisoner, he could relate to that all too well.

"You followed me," Ben said to Snoke. "You don't trust me."

"I don't trust you to get the job done boy. You want the lamp so badly, you found your prize, now let me see to it she does what we ask of her."

Fear crept up Ben's spine. He was used to Snoke's punishments, but not Rey. Rey endured enough for a lifetime. "Don't hurt her, please. I will do anything you ask."

"Anything? What do you even have to _give?_ "

Ben swallowed, knowing the answer was nothing. He had sworn away his loyalty a long time ago. It was all he had.

"It is beneath you to mingle with scavengers. Return to the palace. Your mother is worried about you," Snoke said with an air of mockery.

Since when did she ever truly care? Ben brushed past Snoke and made his way back to the palace, pulling his hood up and adjusting his cowl to obscure his face.

Snoke kept his word, always. Rey would be fine. Ben would get the lamp and wish this nightmare away, free of the impending burdens of the crown and isolation.

Yet, something tugged at his heart. When he stood there, observing the sunset with Rey, that ache of loneliness was gone.

* * *

Rey had no idea where they were taking her. She had never been anywhere outside of the city so everything in the vast arid landscape was unfamiliar and new. Cliff sides of rock casted a shadow over the escort in the silver moonlight.

"Where are you taking me?" Rey demanded, her hands bound together as she sat behind one knight with a more petite figure than the others. "Tell me!"

"We are not ordered to inform you," one knight answered.

"So stay silent lest you get on our nerves," the knight in front of her spoke with disdain, her voice definitely feminine.

Rey rolled her eyes. "No." She had no qualms about speaking her mind, not even when she mouthed off to guards or rude merchants.

"Why you…"

"Ap'lek," one of the other knights scolded. "We cannot harm her. On the Prince's orders."

"Ugh, why would the prince care about a scavenger on the streets is beyond me…"

Rey sat there, staring at the stars, the words "scavenger on the streets" bouncing around in her mind.

She was nothing. She was nobody.

Why _would_ the prince care about her? Then again… He didn't seem to be some stuck-up snobby prince she expected. He was privileged, privileged beyond words, and ignorant of people like her… But the way he spoke of his life like a prison, and the way he looked at the Vizier Snoke as if he was expecting pain, it tore at her heart.

Prince Ben was just a lonely soul like her.

Her brows furrowed, reminding herself that Prince Ben tried to tell her something. She was a diamond in the rough? What did that even mean? And why was it Prince Ben did nothing while the Vizier accused her of kidnapping? Wasn't the Prince above the Vizier in power? It had to do with Prince Ben's reaction upon seeing Snoke, it had to be.

The group of knights keeping her prisoner stopped in front of a cliffside with some faint markings in letters Rey couldn't read. Then again, she was illiterate to begin with. She recognized letters in posters and in books she would find tossed away; these markings were nothing like the ones she grew accustomed to.

An hour passed and all Rey could do was observe the clear sky. The stars reminded her of the darkness in Prince Ben's eyes. Constant. Beautiful. A hint of light in the abyss.

A horse and its rider were seen in the distance. Squinting through the silver light of the moon, Rey recognized the decrepit figure of Vizier Snoke with a bird of golden feathers perched on his shoulder.

He stopped before the group, eying Rey like she was a captured prize. "Release her."

Ap'lek shoved her off their horse. Another knight undid her bound wrists. Rey glared at Snoke, refusing to let herself be pushed around.

"Why am I here? Answer me!" Rey demanded again.

"You're the key to getting something of value. Something that will even allow you to get whatever you want, scavenger." Snoke walked up to the cliff and held up the same ruby that Prince Ben held.

Rey scoffed. "Right. What could you possibly know what I want?"

"A prince perhaps?" Snoke said with a slick smirk, making her spine shudder with a chill in the cool desert air.

Her eye twitched in raw anger at the implication. "What about getting a prince? He's not a prize to be won!"

Prince Ben wouldn't want her anyways, she thought in her head.

"Ah but you cannot deny you're just a mere scavenger who scrapes for food day-by-day. But you can be more." He raised the same ruby Prince Ben held up into the air.

The glimmer of moonlight in the ruby shook the rock. Rey stared in awe as a cave opened up in the shape of a beast she'd never laid eyes upon; an orange glow was emitting from the mouth.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" the cave asked.

One of the knights shoved Rey forward.

She noticed the beast only had one eye, a glittering red jewel. "Rey. My name is Rey."

Rey nothing. Rey nobody, she added with no voice to the words.

"The diamond in the rough," the cave answered back. "Proceed. Touch nothing but the lamp."

Rey furrowed her brow. A lamp? That's it?

"Do not touch anything else but the lamp, scavenger," Snoke warned. "And you will be tempted by what lies within."

She rolled her eyes at this assumption. "And what exactly is this lamp?"

"Power," he answered with a sinister grin. "Bring it to me and you'll be set for life and I will grant you your freedom."

Somehow Rey wasn't convinced but she had no choice in the matter. She was brought here against her will. At least her curiosity of being a diamond in the rough and this lamp was enough to compel her to take a step forward into the mouth of the cave.

The glow gave away to a massive cave covered in piles upon piles of gold, jewels, and rich fabrics draped across each other. Just one singular handful of any of the riches would set Rey for life and then some.

But yet, she wasn't as tempted as she was warned. Like the ruby Vizier Snoke and Prince Ben had, Rey wasn't as in awe with the riches, save for the security she could gain from them.

The so-called lamp was the higher priority. She made her way down the steps and over a carpet of fine purple, one end of it a vibrant sky blue and the other a violent red.

It shifted beneath her feet.

Rey jumped off the carpet as if it were on fire. "What the…"

The carpet lifted itself up, shaking off years of dust and using its silver tassel to _wave_ at her.

Rey had seen many things today. A handsome man who happened to be a prince being chased by his own guards, a living and talking cave, enough riches to make the Queen look dirt poor in comparison, and now she was faced with a magic carpet.

"Okay um…" How did one respond to a carpet? "I'm Rey. I'm looking for a lamp."

Carpet—as she so named it with great originality—flew up into the air and pointed its tassel towards an extremely tall stalagmite of rock. Something green shimmered in the pale light of the cavern.

Rey sighed. "Guess I have to climb to grab it, right?"

Carpet nodded.

Rey stepped over the piles of gold and onto rocks leading up to the top of the stalagmite. Climbing up, Carpet flew around her, watching for her safety. It was nice, having more than just one person in her life to worry for her own safety, even if it was a selfish desire.

For over 15 years Rey had no one. No one deserved no one after all.

She nearly slipped when she grabbed the top ledge, but her foot caught in time. Chest pounding while she stared at the very long fall before her, Rey pushed herself up and over the ledge. Before her was an emerald lamp, solid but sparkled like a jewel.

Reaching out with her tentative hands, Rey breathed in and out. "Only the lamp," she whispered to reassure herself. Her dirty fingertips brushed against the spout and the handle, lifting it up from its rocky pedestal.

Nothing happened. Rey let out a sigh of relief before she heard something _clink_. Turning around in horror, she saw the same bird that was perched on Snoke's shoulder lift up a piece of gold.

"Oh no," she gasped. The cavern began to shake. Magma burst out of the walls around her in a flood. The bird flew up to Rey as she jumped off the stalagmite and to another one, trying to grab at the lamp. Rey batted at the annoyance, trying to steady herself on the stalagmite. It shook as it collapsed beneath her feet. Sliding down she reached out with her free hand to the nearest ledge. She stared in wide-eyed fear at the magma boiling the riches several feet below her feet.

Carpet caught her as she slipped off the ledge. Rey grasped the tassels for dear life as they zoomed towards the glimpse of moonlight.

A rock fell on top of them, clipping Carpet and launching Rey towards the ledge of the cave mouth.

Rey glared at Vizier Snoke as she clung for dear life. "Please help me!" Rey begged.

"First the lamp," Snoke said.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh no. I'm not handing it over until you help me up!"

"The lamp. Or else your prince will lead a miserable life forever!" He moved his foot to crush her fingers.

Snoke's golden bird battered at her, trying to snatch the lamp. "Get off of me!" Rey snarled at the bird before glaring at Snoke. "You… You _are_ the misery in his life! I will never give you this lamp!" Rey yelled. Carpet flew up and battered at Snoke and his bird, giving her relief from the pain in her fingers.

The lamp still solidly in her grip, her fingers slipped off the ledge. Her screams were unheard by any, not even Snoke. She expected a painful death, either by magma or sharp rock, she didn't know.

But that didn't come. Only the comfort of a colorful magic carpet underneath her body greeted her.

The mouth of the cavern collapsed in. Snoke stumbled out, anger at the girl's stubbornness resulting in him losing the lamp once again. This time the chances of ever getting it was slim, lest they go digging for it if it wasn't destroyed already by magma.

"Sir?" Ap'lek Ren asked after moments of silence.

"Return to the palace! Now!" he snarled.

* * *

Ben sat upon his bed. He couldn't relax for even a moment to relieve his stresses in calligraphy. Usually, it was cathartic for him when it all became too much, but even now his gut twisted.

He shouldn't have let Rey be taken away. He should have insisted on going with them to the cave. He should have made sure she was safe.

Why did he trust Snoke anymore? Why did he?

Ben was worried, far too worried to even sleep. In the early hours of morning, just before the sky would be painted with the pink hue of dawn, the door to his quarters opened.

Snoke did not look pleased or even displeased. With a stoic voice, he delivered his news. "The girl is dead. She got greedy and now the lamp is lost. You filled her head with thoughts that led her pure heart astray. You failed again. The ruby lied. You lied."

Ben's blood froze over at the news. "No…"

Snoke turned on his heel. "She stole what wasn't hers, and that was her downfall."

The doors were closed, leaving Ben with shaking hands. Furiously gripping his dark locks, he gasped for air. Breathing became difficult. His chest was tight, empty loneliness taking root again in his heart. His dreams of getting the lamp and making his one wish in life were gone. But he didn't care about that fact as much as the reality that Rey was _dead_. The beautiful scavenger who understood him more than anything. He cared about her only after a few hours and she was gone just like that.

She didn't deserve to die.

And now he was all alone. It was his fault, it was always his fault over and over that he was trapped and now he ruined an innocent girl's life.

He tore his hands away from his hair to smash a vase on the floor, kicking over a potted tree. Soil, glass, and ceramic stone littered everywhere. Ben collapsed to his knees, leaning his forehead against a wall as he tried to choke back his sobs.

How he wished he could pour his heart out to his mother right at that moment. Seek her comfort as he once did as a mere child.

But Ben was always alone. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I had to sneak in some angst because of course I did. But do not fret for long, the two shall meet again very soon.


	4. Friend (Not) Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey makes her first wish.

_Chapter 4: Friend (Not) Like Me_

* * *

Rey woke up from her exhausted slumber in the dimmed cavern. Half the riches were boiled away and very few pieces remain sprawled around. Heat formed sweat on her skin; wisps of her stray hair sticking to her cheeks. Carpet shifted beneath her and lifted her up to a sitting position.

"What happened?" Rey asked herself more than her rugged companion. Looking up at where the entrance once was, she found the ledge leading out of the cavern was still intact. Climbing and digging her way out was perhaps going to be the most challenging task, but she was used to the hard labor of climbing the impossible.

Carpet stopped her with a tug of her sleeve. "What?" Rey asked. Carpet pointed to the emerald oil lamp on the floor of the cavern. It was untouched. Unscratched despite all the chaos it just went through.

Rey inspected the glittering lamp. Why did Vizier Snoke care about this lamp so much to begin with? It was pretty but that's all it was, pretty. Rey would sell it in a heartbeat to get provisions or even a shelter for the urchins she saw scampering around the back alleys.

Carpet gestured to it again, urging her to take the lamp. With a sigh, Rey reached over and blew the dust off of it. The writing on said lamp was beautiful but incoherent to her, as was the writing on the entrance to the cavern. "What's a lamp going to do to get me out of here," Rey mumbled. "It needs polishing first." Using the sleeve of her ragged garb, she rubbed away the remaining dirt on the emerald to allow it to shine.

In a cloud of wispy green smoke from the very spout of the lamp appeared a man. His beard was tinged with grey and uncombed; his robes were white linen, and he carried a scowl permanently on his face.

Rey wasn't sure how to take this development, but then again her day was off in general. She met the Prince of Alderaan, got taken to a magical cave full of riches, and befriended a magic carpet. Now a man who looked like a hermit sitting on the streets after he was kicked out of his palace was standing in front of her.

"What do you want?" the man asked, looking her up and down with a scowl. "Who are you?"

Rey glanced down at the lamp in her hand. "Um, I'm Rey."

"How did you find my lamp, Rey?"

Hot anger boiled in her veins at the reminder that Snoke trapped her here. "If you must know, the Vizier of Alderaan brought me here and trapped me because I refused to give him the lamp."

The man glanced around the cavern, taking in her words. "He doesn't sound like someone who is reasonable. In any case," he sighed and grumbled out the next few sentences. "My name is Luke; I'm the all-powerful genie of this lamp. You can pick any three wishes you want besides the obvious of murder, resurrection, and love. Now make it quick kid."

"Three wishes?" Rey tilted her head.

Luke rubbed his temple. "Yes, kid. No more than that so don't bother with the wishing for more wishes trick."

Rey wasn't sure how to take this grumpy genie in a lamp. "For a person inside a lamp, you don't look like an all-powerful being."

"I've been trapped in that cramped space for 30 years with no sunlight. It is not going to do wonders for the hair or skin."

Rey gawked. "30 years?"

"Yes, 30 years. Long story short: someone tricked me into the lamp. Now I am your slave; can we please get out of this dark cave kid?"

"How?"

"By _wishing_ for it."

She tightened her brow. "I don't think so." Turning on her heel, she began marching to the wall and pulled a small dagger out of her back pocket and hooked it onto the rock and began climbing. Her fingers dug into the stone and dirt for support wherever she could. Climbing even the smallest ridges wasn't impossible for her.

Luke watched the determined scavenger with annoyance. "How exactly are you going to leave? I don't see an exit."

Rey grunted in effort between words. "I… Will… Dig… My way out."

Luke looked at Carpet. "Of all people to rub the lamp and it's the most stubborn girl in Alderaan."

"I am aware I am stubborn, thank you," Rey fired back. "I'm still not using my wish to get us out of here."

It was going to be a long while before they ever left the cavern.

* * *

Ben didn't know when he fell asleep on the floor of his room, still wearing his previous day's regalia. Sitting away from him was the disaster he had left in the wake of his anger and pain. Sunlight poured through the cracks of his curtains.

Morning was here, and Ben had to put on a fake air of aloofness to conceal his real pain. The resignation of his life of entrapment dragged him down, spiraling into a pit of hopelessness. Every muscle of his ached from his excursions outside the palace in the previous day, but also ached with the lingering pain of his punishments.

Standing up, he staggered to his soft bed, flopping down and wishing to squeeze his eyes closed and forget the world.

A knock on the door greeted his ears.

"Your Highness—what happened?!" Hux barged in and gawked at the mess on the floor. Ben lifted his head from the pillow to answer.

"A bird wouldn't leave my room," he answered in a perfectly composed yet sleep-addled voice.

Hux sighed. "I shall fetch the maids then to clean while you have tea with your mother."

Ben's heart clenched at having to face his mother so soon after losing Rey. He didn't want to face her, for he would have to lie to her. Over and over.

Another soulless day in the palace.

* * *

Rey felt her fingers scratch at the sharp stone. She poked at the rock of the top of the cavern with her dagger, trying to loosen the dirt.

Luke was utterly bored to the point he wondered if he could bend the rules of his rather limited powers. Sure he could grant anything anyone desired—the powers of a magical sorcerer, to rule a kingdom, to make anyone into royalty, but he could only give 3 wishes to any one soul.

And this girl was determined not to waste them.

To hell though if Luke was staying in this dark cave for another second. With a snap of his fingers and a lot of his own energy, he conjured a magical shovel and used it to dig at the rock. Rey stopped in awe of her pathetic efforts to see sunlight break through the rock. Freedom was ahead.

Digging at the exit with her hands, Rey opened up a hole to bright sunshine. The scent of dry desert air was a welcome one to her nose. Stepping out she stretched her limbs and breathed in and out.

Then it dawned on her that she was far, very far from the capital city of Alderaan.

"Well that's just great," Rey flopped down in the shade of the cliff. "I'm stuck out here with a genie in a lamp and a rug and I have no idea where I am."

Luke stepped out of the cave and inhaled the desert arid air for the first time in 30 years. "You could…"

"No, I'm not wasting my wishes. Only three?" Rey gestured to the lamp in her hand with a scoff. "All-powerful genie indeed."

Luke rolled his eyes. Why was she so insistent on making her own life—and his—harder? "I don't make the rules kid. Are you going to decide what you are going to wish for any time soon?"

Rey put a finger to her lip in thought. "Hmm, I want them to mean something and be worth something."

"As opposed to being trapped in a cave for the rest of your life?" Luke asked, bewildered at this girl's priorities.

"That's beside the point. I have three wishes and I have… No idea what I will do with them."

Luke rubbed his temples with both hands this time. "Really?"

"Yeah." Rey paused in thought. "Well, I've never had three wishes before; I never thought about it that much. There are a lot of things I want but…"

She couldn't stop thinking about Prince Ben. How the slimy vizier more than likely treated him so poorly it made her skin crawl. How Prince Ben grasped her arms in a protective hold from his own vizier. Perhaps she could use her wishes for him. For what exactly, she wasn't sure. All Rey really wanted at that moment was to talk to him again.

"What would you wish for?" Rey asked Luke, trying to roll over her options in her head. Talking to Prince Ben would require considerable planning.

Luke, unsure where that came from, conjured a plush couch to sit down and think. "I hadn't really thought about that. I guess... freedom."

"From what?" Rey asked, surprised that he too, felt trapped.

"I was tricked 30 years ago into the lamp. Being a slave to everyone's whims and desires isn't exactly a very positive lifestyle."

He had a point. Rey mulled over Luke's plight carefully. First Prince Ben, now Luke. "How do you free yourself?" Rey asked.

"The master of the lamp has to wish me free, and since greed is common—it's why I am in this lamp in the first place—that will never happen."

Rey was a bit insulted. She could be that one person. "Then I will do it then."

Luke stared at her as if she just became a monkey. "What?"

"I will use my last wish to set you free from the lamp. Sound good to you?"

Luke raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You… I don't really buy it but sure kid."

Rey was satisfied enough with the answer. She would definitely free this grump from his lamp. He had gotten her out of the cave somehow. "Right, now we have a deal… I still don't know what to wish for besides that though."

Luke lifted his hand to his forehead in agitation. "Is there anything you actually want? More than anything in the universe?"

Rey's thoughts immediately went back to Prince Ben. His beautiful dark hair, his deep voice… His lonely soul. "Well there's this prince…" Rey mumbled off without much thought.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, prince of where?"

"The Prince of Alderaan."

Rey tilted her head at the look of Luke's slack-jawed expression.

"Leia has a son…" Luke said to himself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. So, what about him?"

Rey sighed, thinking about what to do. "Well, he's lonely, and I think the vizier is up to no good—that's the same guy who forced me into that cave and nearly killed me over your lamp. He… I just have a feeling about the guy and it might have something to do with the Prince."

Luke slouched back on his couch. "Go on," he said, pulling up a glass of some weird blue concoction and taking a sip.

"The prince is…" Her face reddened amidst the desert sun. "Well, I want to see him again and make sure he's okay. But how am I supposed to get even near the prince? You need to be royalty or someone important to get in the palace and I'm just…"

Nobody.

She had to be somebody to get anywhere with her sudden desire to see the man with the pretty eyes again.

"Can you make me a princess?" Rey asked Luke, who was unfazed by the request.

"You need to word it better," Luke said, still taking sips of the blue drink.

Rey asked again. "Can you _make_ me into a princess?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Hold the lamp and make your wish."

"A simple yes or no will do," Rey huffed, getting up from her spot and grabbing the lamp sitting by Luke. "Fine. I wish to be a princess."

Luke snapped his fingers and a swirl of vibrant emerald dust formed around Rey's body. Puffs of gold and white entangled together. Rey felt her skin be caressed in soft silks and gossamer in the place of rough thin rags she wore as a scavenger. Her hair fell loose from the confines of her triple buns.

When the clouds and dust disappeared, Rey looked down at herself. Her hands were clean. Her skin in fact, from head to toe, was absent of the dirt and grime she accumulated from living on the streets for so long.

"Congrats you're royalty," Luke said in a begrudging tone, conjuring a mirror up for Rey to gaze at herself.

Her hair was silky and combed through, pulled back halfway so it wouldn't obscure her face. She turned around to spot the hint of a bejeweled comb with a sheer train that sparkled with specks of gold and silver. Her lips were painted a soft pink resembling the lilies she once scented around the marketplace, and since when did her eyelashes curl so much before? Her freckles were highlighted upon her cheeks, a feature that she once observed with a frown in a clear water bucket. Her outfit was in two pieces, the top made of soft ivory wrapping around her lithe frame in the finest material she only observed from rooting around in cargo shipments. Her skirts had layers of silk and gossamer on top of each other, swaying in the slight breeze.

Rey shifted her feet, wiggling her toes and finding the most comfortable shoes possible supporting her arches. "Is that me?" She questioned with wide eyes in the mirror.

"Well, yes," Luke said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean… What is my name? What's my kingdom?" she looked over her wrists, adorned with gold and silver bracelets. She had never dreamed she would even be wearing such finery in her life.

Luke shrugged, looking at Carpet before muttering something. "You're the Princess of… Jakku."

Rey squinted at Luke in disbelief. "Isn't that nowhere?"

"Who is going to know? It's a beautiful place… With sand," Luke said. "And pretty sunsets." He stood up from his spot on the couch and admired his work before him. "Hmm…"

"Why the freckles?" Rey asked. "Can't you just cover them up?" The fact they were highlighted made her feel odd. She'd seen the complexions of many royal ladies in vague passing and not a single one had freckles, not even a slight blemish.

Carpet raised a tassel in the form of a no gesture, then went to a thumbs up.

"I highly doubt my freckles are the best part, Carpet," Rey muttered. "So I am Princess Who of Jakku?"

Luke had wandered a few paces away, still lost in thought. "Need something more to go with the presentation…"

She rolled her eyes at being ignored. "Fine I guess I'm…" she thought about Prince Ben's initial fake name, Kylo. "Kira. Princess Kira of Jakku."

Carpet tilted its upper half at her.

"What? It's better than nothing."

"Aha, transportation," Luke came walking back and snapped his fingers. In a rush of green and gold dust, a white stallion appeared dressed in ornate finery to match Rey's dress. He looked at the horse for a moment then shook his head. "Nah." He snapped his fingers again and conjured a lavish group of escorts and armed guards surrounding a vibrant white and gold carriage. "Much better."

Rey gaped at the massive amount of people there to help her make an entrance and sell her as a princess. "That's… a bit much."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You need to convince them that Princess Kira is real."

"I am real!" Rey declared, annoyed by Luke's dismissal.

"Hmm you need a lady-in-waiting," Luke said, examining the royal retinue.

"Well I know where to find one, she's in the city," Rey said. "She's my best friend."

"Good, you trust her. Right, off we go," Luke snapped his fingers and dressed in more clean robes and pulled a white hood over his head.

Rey lifted her skirts with care, shuffled through the thin sand, and climbed into the carriage. Carpet followed suit and rested beneath her feet.

* * *

Rose Tico had no idea where Rey went. She saw the armed guards of the vizier barge into the abandoned ruined building and hid from their suspecting eye. Some yelling—most definitely Rey's voice—shoved Rose into full self-preservation mode. The guilt of not rushing to her best friend's side weighed down upon her, but she knew Rey would have wanted her to stay hidden from the guards. They could haul her away even though Rose had never stolen or broken the law. Rey was the one who insisted on being the thief, always.

"Better me than you," Rey would say with a smug smile before going off to pickpocket passersby in the marketplace.

Rose waited with bated breath to see if Rey would come back. She didn't.

Until a carriage rode through on the main road and an old man in white robes with a hood over his head approached her. "Are you Rose?"

"Uh, yes?" Rose braced herself to be taken away by her wrists, but instead, her vision was obscured by green dust and suddenly she was dressed in a starry blue silk dress and her hair was up in a braided bun. "Whoa. What…"

"Come, there's not much time."


	5. Princess Kira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two royals panic for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated the tags and added another chapter to the count! Enjoy two idiots staring at each other. <3

_Chapter 5: Princess Kira_

* * *

Rey was relieved to have Rose approach the carriage. She could barely recognize her friend with all the genie-conjured finery on, but she knew it was her all the same. Luke led her to the carriage and Rose stepped inside with some slight hesitation. She sat down across from Rey.

"Who are you?" Rose questioned, squinting her eyes at Rey, eying her dress up and down. "Your Highness."

Rey giggled. "It's me, Rose."

Rose's eyes nearly bulged out of her head in shock. "Rey?"

"It's Princess Kira, but yes, it's me," Rey answered. Next thing she knew, Rose was embracing her. It was nice to not have a grumpy genie or a carpet as a friendly face in the past day. Rey thought she would never see her best friend again when she fell in that cave.

"I thought something had happened to you! I thought the vizier took you away into the dungeons. And where is that Kylo guy? I knew he was bad news—"

Rey hugged her back, trying to calm her friend. "Rose I am fine. Kylo is um… He's the prince."

Rose pulled away and Rey swore her eyebrows disappeared underneath her bangs. "He's the prince?! And you're dressed like a princess and in a carriage with a million guards. What happened?"

"It's a long story."

So Rey, now dubbed Princess Kira, explained how Kylo was actually Prince Ben of Alderaan, how Vizier Snoke took her away and shoved her into a cave, and how she is now the Princess of Jakku because of a wish she made with a lamp containing a grumpy genie. Rose sat back in awe, processing Rey's story.

"So this was your first wish? Huh."

Rey nodded, waving to the guard by her carriage to begin moving towards the palace gates. "I wanted to ask you to be my lady-in-waiting. I trust no one else."

Rose placed a hand on Rey's shoulder with a smile. "Of course I will help you. The palace is beautiful and I am a great wing-woman."

"Wing-woman?" Rey tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Rey, you look radiant as a princess. If Prince Ben doesn't see it then he is very idiotic."

Rey's blood ran cold at the realization. "Oh no." She leaned her head out the window to get Luke's attention. "Luke?"

He didn't flinch at his name. He continued walking with his fingers folded and his head slightly bowed so his hood obscured his identity to passersby. "Yes, Master?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "It's Princess now."

"My mistake."

"Won't anyone recognize me?"

"You barely recognized your friend right?" he answered as if she was asking a stupid question.

"Yes," Rey said slowly, unsure how Luke figured that out so fast.

"The magic," Luke explained. "Will prevent anyone from recognizing you. Unless someone knows you inside and out of course."

Rey scoffed. Good to know that not a single soul will recognize her as the scavenger street rat. She was no longer a nobody now. She was Princess Kira of Jakku.

* * *

Ben sat across from his mother in the courtyard for mid-morning tea. His eyes were still dry and raw, the redness on his pale cheeks cooled from a splash of water from the basin before he left. A couple of strands of his dark hair fell over his forehead—a desperate attempt to comb it despite his exhaustion and lingering grief over a girl he met just yesterday.

"Ben?" Leia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine Mom," Ben answered in his curt tone. "Just, fine."

Leia set her teacup down. "Ben, I'm concerned about you. You've been so adrift and reclusive for a long time now and your father and I would give you your space since you're a grown man now but… You look tired and you shy away from everything even more than usual. I rarely see you."

"I've been busy Mom. I have to learn to rule a kingdom."

She sighed. "Yes I know but…"

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Leia's butler, Threepio, called for them from the entrance to the courtyard. "I must inform you of a visitor from a kingdom who requests to visit and stay for a few days in the palace."

Leia stood up at once. Ben remained sitting, dreading what this implied. Another dull princess from a dull kingdom and he really did not want to put up with dull small talk _again_. But if he was honest with himself, he would rather just marry some dull princess now and get it over with. His life was a slave to the crown forever; there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

"Of course. Grant permission past the gates and escort this visitor to the throne room."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Leia walked back inside, leaving Ben alone for a few spare moments before Armitage Hux greeted him from the doorway.

"Your Highness, your mother requests you greet the visitor in the throne room at once."

Ben stood up, straightening his collar and trying desperately not to roll his eyes. It was another dull princess as he dreaded. "Right."

Hux was not amused by his attitude. "You should be fair to this one. She's a nervous wreck."

"And I should care, why?" Ben said.

"Because Prince _Charming_ ," Hux said with a scowl. Ben always found it amusing to get under the man's skin. "You have a reputation to uphold for your kingdom."

Ben, quite frankly, didn't care about his reputation being poor; all he cared about was at least doing his job as ruler halfway decent. "Right, my non-existent reputation. Go on."

Hux rolled his eyes as they walked to the throne room. "Don't scare this princess off, we're running out of them."

When Ben stepped through the doors to be presented to the next princess—was it the sixth or seventh he was forced to greet and make small talk to?—he put on his usual mask of irritation and indifference without fail. He had perfected the art at this point of coming off as uninterested as possible. The second Leia declared he had to meet some princess to increase his marriage prospects; Ben spent some time in front of his mirror and under the tutelage of Snoke putting on his mask.

Only to have said mask immediately wiped off his face by _freckles._

Beautiful, adorable—strangely familiar—freckles.

All the air left his lungs. Suddenly it was hard to move his legs. Was it a bit hot in here? He reached up and tugged at his collar for a brief second before reminding himself to focus.

"My son, Prince Ben of Alderaan," Leia announced.

One foot in front of the other. Hux had to nudge him forward.

Ben swallowed dryly as he approached the sunshine of a woman standing by her lady-in-waiting at the end of the stairs leading to the throne that Leia sat upon. He couldn't stop staring; he found the very act impossible. The fact that there were many, many people in the room was not helping matters. Snoke was there. Even his father of all people was witness to this. Everyone was watching as Ben, Prince of Alderaan, took slow awkward steps towards the new arrival princess.

He was being undone by freckles dotted across a woman's cheeks.

* * *

Rey was doomed.

She was very doomed. Princess Kira herself was doomed. It was simply not fair. Prince Ben looked amazing in his rough and imposing robes while he posed as Kylo, but seeing him dressed in immaculate princely finery made her breath catch in her throat. His hair wasn't as tousled as it was when she shoved him down in the abandoned room, but it was still was accompanied by a couple of stray strands over his forehead. Oh, this was just not fair at all. He was even more gorgeous than ever and all line of thought and goals in her mind just disappeared.

She didn't like the glare that snake Snoke gave her when she had walked in, but she expected Snoke didn't like visitors. As Luke said, she was Princess Kira. No one would figure out who she was. Queen Leia was intimidating in her mere stature but seemed warm in her welcome.

Now, none of that mattered. Her heart fluttered like no tomorrow, her mind only thinking of Prince Ben and how he looked so fine and carried himself in a much different stature now. Tall, moving with not a flinch or slouch in posture. A departure from the rugged man she bumped into on the streets. But one thing remained the same about him: his expressive dark eyes.

Thank the stars for Rose. Rey felt a nudge of Rose's elbow in her ribs bringing her back to reality. Prince Ben was approaching her and everyone was watching. They were expecting a princess. Princess Kira had to play her part to stay in the game.

The throne room was so huge and every sound made would bounce off the tall walls and polished ivory floors. Every echo Prince Ben's footsteps made pounded in her ears. He stopped in front of her, only an arm's length away. His expression was indiscernible. His eyes were ever beautiful, but to determine the exact emotion was a challenge to Rey. His lips— _oh those enticing lips_ —were slightly parted. His eyes raked over her, scrutinizing every detail for legitimacy no doubt.

Just as she recovered her breath, he extended his hand—his very large ungloved hand—to _her_. Oh. She placed her own hand into his and her skin tingled at the touch. It was so soft—so soft. His thumb enclosed on her fingers and he bent down to press a kiss to the back of her hand. Rey's mind ran wild with the sensation, wondering how his lips would feel against her own instead of just her hand.

His dark gaze kept her captivated throughout the entire exchange, never relenting. His stare was practically piercing her soul and rendering her speechless.

"Princess Kira of Jakku," she breathed out, trying to find her way back to current reality.

To her disappointment, Prince Ben let go of her hand. "Welcome to Alderaan, Princess." His voice was unnerving. So low, gentle. A hint of his other persona. Prince Ben really had many fascinating facets to himself. She wanted to know them all.

Oh. Right. She needed to respond. "Your kingdom is so beautiful," she said, trying to will herself to speak. "I mean, I'm sure you've heard that a lot right?"

Rey told herself to shut her mouth before she made this even worse.

"I… Not really," Prince Ben answered. He was perfectly composed. Oh, this was definitely not fair. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Your Highness."

"I think I will. Enjoy the stay that is," Rey stammered out. Her cheeks had to be on fire underneath the dusting of blush made to highlight her freckles.

And he backed away, leaving her sorely wanting his close proximity again.

"I hope you can join us tonight for the celebration of the stars," Queen Leia spoke. "It's a minor affair but…"

Rey rushed out her words, tearing her eyes away from the prince to the queen. "Of course. I would be honored, Your Majesty."

Leia gestured a hand to one of her guards. "Finn, please escort Her Highness and her lady-in-waiting to her quarters."

A guard stepped forward. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Rey had to hold in her sigh of relief at leaving the imposing throne room.

She was utterly doomed.

* * *

The second Ben gazed into her eyes up close, inspecting those same freckles that dusted Princess Kira's cheeks, he knew.

It was _her_.

His heart practically leaped to his throat, crushing his lungs and threatening to explode. This was Rey. _Rey_ , the scavenger he found out of sheer chance. His diamond in the rough, being presented to him as a princess. She looked pretty before, but now in ivory and glitter? Her hair was even let down a little? Ben thought he had died.

He was so light-headed he could only kiss her hand and stare. And stare. And _stare._ Ben knew he couldn't give away his revelation, not yet at least.

Relief washed over him when the exchange was over. As he watched Rey be escorted away, he willed himself to be calm. Very calm. Almost to the point of indifference.

"So?" Leia spoke. "What do you think of her?"

Ben blinked. "She's fine."

Oh, he knew that he was lying through his teeth. To say Rey was just fine was an insult. She was… Beyond words. Sunshine was the only descriptor his imaginative mind could come up with. He really needed to get out of that throne room right that second to form coherent thoughts again.

So he turned on his heel and left with Hux following as soon as he voiced his opinion.

Returning to his chambers, Ben immediately went to the mirror to observe his face. He had told Hux he needed to be alone and dismissed him. His eyes were less swollen and red which was good, he didn't scare her off. His hair needed much taming. And he needed a nap. Badly. Tonight was going to be the hardest of his life of trying not to let his awkwardness destroy his chances with the girl who took his breath away. Since when did Ben ever try to win over a girl before?

Somehow he felt it was easier if he was still masquerading around in rugged black clothes and calling himself Kylo.

Then there was the other matter of Princess Kira is really the scavenger Rey. The girl who Snoke told him was dead. But why was she here, still alive, calling herself a princess? How? Why? He trusted Snoke for years so why would he lie about Rey's demise? None of it made sense.

Ben flopped onto his bed with a sigh of pure anguish. "Princess Kira, who are you?"

* * *

As Rey was escorted to her quarters—she was still in shock that she would have a room all to herself that wasn't exposed to the elements—she glanced at the guard named Finn. Interesting how Queen Leia knew the names of her own servants. For a little second, she wondered if Prince Ben was the same way.

"Finn right?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"What is it like here? Working in the palace?" Rey rambled off without another thought. Rose's eyes widened.

"Well um," Finn was startled by the mere question. "My captain is fair. The Queen even more so. But something is off you could say."

Off? "Oh?"

"Your Highness, I'm being a bit reckless but I have never seen the Prince act like that towards anyone, ever."

That startled Rey more than anything. Had he figured her out at a glance? No, that wasn't possible. Luke gave his word.

Finn led the two ladies to their quarters, opening the doors to a lavish suite with cushioned couches and pillows. A chandelier of white crystal hung above, the light dancing around the sitting room.

"Beyond the doors is your room and your lady's room is to the left," Finn explained.

Rey nodded, holding back the impulse to bow out of habit to avoid guards' eyes. "Thank you, Finn."

"Yes, thank you, Finn," Rose answered.

He bowed to them and departed, closing the door behind him.

As soon the two heard the audible click of the handle, Rose threw herself onto the couch and reached into her small little handbag to pull out the oil lamp. "I have never been in such… A nice place before," she said with excitement and joy.

"I cannot believe it either," Rey said, overwhelmed by the detail of the soft ivory walls, the gilded door handles. Her breath was almost as taken away as it was when she had first laid eyes upon Prince Ben. Almost. She opened the door to her bedroom and her jaw fell open.

The walls were a beautiful ocean blue and the canopy bed had sheer white curtains draped around its carved wooden frame. The bedding was of fine silk, woven with golden thread into elegant patterns.

Rose nudged Rey into the room, placing the lamp into her grasp. "I think Grumpy would like to get out. I will be in my room," Rose said, leaving her to stand in the middle of her lavish room.

This was more than she ever expected for royalty to live in. It was so much more than her dirt-filled life as a scavenger on the streets. It was dizzying to think about. She rubbed the lamp and out came Luke. He cracked his joints and sat down on the closest love seat, a scowl on his face. "So glad to be out of there again." Following out was Carpet, flying around the room to observe the décor.

Rey sat down across from him. "Well uh, they bought it."

Luke nodded. "Of course they did. I know their standards."

She titled her head. "What do you mean?"

Luke shook his head. "It's nothing. Genie magic."

"Right. Yes. Um. Problem," Rey set down the lamp next to her. "They're having a party tonight. The festival of stars?"

"Ahh, right. And?"

"Last time I went to a party was exactly zero," Rey said. The more she thought about her precarious situation, the more the weight of it all tugged down on her. Oh no. She was invited to a nobility celebration. She was expected to act like royalty for longer than ten minutes. Oh no oh no. She had to talk to Prince Ben again and hopefully not make a fool of herself again gaping at him like some love-struck dove. Oh no…

She stood up. "I don't even know how to dance!"

Luke conjured up a glass of a blue substance again and took sips as Rey walked in circles around the room.

"And I looked like a total fool in the throne room in front of Prince Ben and his mother and father!"

Luke snorted. "Probably the most entertainment that throne room had in years. Tell me, did you see his father?"

Rey paused, sitting back down and curling in on herself on the couch. "Yes. He looked like he didn't want to be there and stood out like a sore thumb."

Luke contemplated her words. "Interesting…"

"Help me please, you're my only hope to survive this night," Rey begged. "The Prince just stared at me the entire time and I didn't know what to do."

Luke as always just remained rather oddly calm and nonchalant about the entire situation. "If it makes you feel better, I will be disguised as a servant to observe. First thing's first: you look the part; you have to act the part. Don't bow to anyone who doesn't have your respect as an equal, so unfortunately for you, no bowing to servants. A commanding presence is required."

She swallowed dryly, hanging onto his every word. "Yes. Right. Got it."

"But," Luke added, drinking the last of the blue liquid in his cup. "You don't need to be so formal with the Prince. Be yourself."

Rey tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

* * *

The sun had set faster than Ben would have liked. Or maybe he just wanted to sleep for longer but then Hux came knocking on his door.

"Your Highness, the party will start shortly and I do not know about you but I would like to be there on time for once," he said from the doorway before turning on his heel and leaving.

Ben groaned as he turned over. It was a lovely dream he had, of Rey in a different white dress and holding a bouquet of lovely violet roses with a veil over her lovely face…

He splashed cold water on his face. Focus. Just. Focus. He breathed in and out. He hated parties—too many people tripping over themselves to impress him and his mother with his father strangely but unsurprisingly absent—and this was no exception. The one spot of sunshine in all this was, of course, his beautiful scavenger. Maybe he would get answers out of her.

There were a lot of maybes in his life.

Maybe if he wasn't born to a princess and a rogue, things would be different. Maybe if he hadn't so desperate to avoid crushing responsibility and the pressure of his bloodline, things would be different. Maybe if his damned uncle hadn't disappeared all those years ago, things would be different.

Something occurred to Ben though, something rather peculiar. Since when did Hux care about a party this much?

He combed through his hair and put on his finest robes. Focus. Focus. Focus. He had to remain calm. Indifferent. He had to treat her as he normally would, to prevent Snoke's suspicions. He was surprised that Snoke hadn't come to speak to him about his reaction to Rey. Snoke didn't seem to recognize her as far as he knows. He wished he could relax around Rey, but once again, parties. Princess. Scavenger. Snoke. Everything was confusing.

The ballroom was a glorious achievement to architecture in Alderaan's history. The ceiling was a giant dome of glass looking out to the stars. The candles of various colors kept the wide room's light low, flames flickering in the reflection of polished floors. One could still see the ocean of stars above on a cloudless night.

Ben tugged at his collar, Hux walking briskly at his side. "It's just a festival, Hux. Same one every year."

Hux rolled his eyes. "I am not a fool, Highness. Princess Kira caught your eye."

Ben choked on air, stiffening at the bold response. "What?"

"What nothing. You fancy her or at least care more about her than the rest of the princesses that came to call. I'm not the idiot in this scenario."

"Watch your tongue, Armitage," Ben grumbled. "Or you might lose it."

Hux remained unfazed. "As if you can afford to lose me Highness."

The damn bastard was right.

Entering the ballroom, Ben caught his mother at her spot to the side as per usual. What was unusual was the sight of his father by her side. He had no idea what to make of this. His father made a million excuses to get out of social events—not that Ben blamed him.

Some days Ben regrets not talking to him more.

Snoke was there, and the first to greet Ben. "Your Highness."

Hux knew to take his leave for now. He bowed and left Ben alone with his master. "Master," Ben said in a lowered tone. "Anything in particular tonight?"

"Just remember that you are still under oath, boy."

Snoke brushed past him and went past him with a lingering touch on his shoulder. Ben's blood froze, a twinge of fear on his neck. No doubt Snoke will be watching him tonight.

Ben strolled over to Leia and Han. Han's untamed greyed hair and rather dressed-down appearance stood out like a sore thumb in comparison to everyone else in the room.

"Mom. Dad," Ben greeted the two of them curtly. "How is the evening?"

"Oh you know, the usual of Lady Catherine being prickly, Lady Ap'lek bickering with Lord Cardo."

Indeed, over by the fountain, Ben's loyal knights were engaged in a battle of wits, Ap'lek with her blood-red mouth firing off against the smaller wispy-haired Cardo about some useless topic.

"And the Princess of Jakku is here," Han said with a mischievous glance at Ben before gesturing towards the entryway.

Rey—or was it Princess Kira—walked into the ballroom dressed in a more soft cream-colored version of her dress from earlier. Golden dust on her cheeks and shoulders glittered off the candle glow.

"Don't scare her off kiddo," Han said to him before going to take a drink off a servant's tray.

Ben's eye twitched at his father's remark. Was it really that obvious that he cared for her?

He took a deep breath and walked towards his knights and pretended to listen to whatever Ap'lek was ranting on about.

* * *

Rey stood with Rose at her side by the window overlooking the city. The moon crested the rippling waters of the sea. She tried to keep her breathing even as she snuck not-so-subtle glances at Prince Ben across the vacant dance floor and mingle of people. He was observing figures in dark robes and dressed down regalia of knighthood. Prince Ben himself was wearing black silk with his off-shoulder cape bleeding in the lining from crimson to violet. In his hair was golden filigree lining the ground of his head with a flower of gold to the side: a representation of his mother Queen Leia who wore something similar in her braided hair. It was customary of the future ruler to wear something equal to the current reigning monarch. As ever his hair was so full and so soft and Rey's fingers twitched at the thought of merely feeling his locks through her fingers…

Rey blinked those thoughts away. She was on a mission. A mission to get close to him and hopefully wish away his troubles but nonetheless get close. This wasn't any time for falling over herself.

"Kira?" Rose whispered in her ear. "Mind if I go dance?"

"Of course, you enjoy the evening, I got this… Maybe."

Rose's eyes sparkled with joy. "You'll be fine. He didn't give you the cold treatment in the throne room. Besides, you have to go talk to him eventually, gives me an excuse to see his advisor…"

Rey felt a sly smile come over her lips. "Oh, so that's why you're really here, right?"

Rose was lucky the lighting was warm or else Rey would have seen the visible blush on her cheeks. "I mean, I'm not going to avoid his advisor all night. We might have to meet to coordinate meetings of course for the two of you."

Rey pushed her friend forward. "Ah yes, the advisor with the nice red hair. Go get 'em."

To Rey's fortune, she managed to push Rose right into the advisor—Armitage Hux—at that moment. Rose giggled with nerves as she asked him to partake in the first dance of the evening with her. Hux agreed in his very formal way, taking a drink off a tray as a servant passed by.

The first dance would begin shortly and Rey was a sitting duck. Another servant passed by her and she tried to reach out for a glass of light liquid but was stopped by a voice.

"No way you're letting alcohol drive your confidence kid," Luke said, pulling the tray just out of her reach. He cleaned up well, his beard and scraggly hair trimmed down and taking a few years off of his face.

"Why not?" Rey pouted.

"Do you really want to get on the dance floor with your prince with a looser grip on your coordination?"

He had a point, to her frustration. "Fine. I concede. But what makes you think I am going to dance with Prince Ben?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You got this far and you made eyes at him and he made eyes at you and you're asking why I believe you're going to dance with him?"

"He did not—"

Luke snapped his fingers and Rey was hovering across the floor just a couple inches, planted right by Prince Ben. Rey glared daggers at Luke, who just stood with the tray of drinks in his hand looking as if nothing happened.

Rey turned around and took a deep breath. Prince Ben was still listening to whatever nonsense the nobles near him were talking about, his back to her. He took note of her presence and turned around with a dramatic swish of his cape.

Oh, she was very much doomed. He was so tall. And his hair was even better up close.

With a pounding heart, Rey swallowed and spoke. "Hello, Your Highness."

His eyes dragged over her with that same dark intensity in the throne room. She straightened her posture. She was Princess Kira, someone worthy of Prince Ben's time and attention.

"Hello, Princess Kira," he said in his baritone voice. She held back a shudder at the tone he took on. He was very precise in each syllable, yet his voice was rather… Cold. Emotionless. Nothing like how he greeted her with a warmth earlier.

"It's a fine evening. Your mother throws an exquisite party." Exquisite was a word royalty would use right?

"I… I will be sure to pass the compliment on, Your Highness."

Without thinking and without hesitation, she made her move. "Would you like to dance? I mean not right now because dancing hasn't started and…" She really needed to shut up now.

"It is customary that royalty begins the first dance, so yes, I will dance with you, Highness."

He held his hand out to her. She stopped for a moment, wondering if this was the right thing to do. She placed her hand into his, indulging in the feeling and he led her to the dance floor.

His free hand was on her bare waist. She could have sworn his entire hand covered all of her waist and then some. She looked up to his face, before noticing he was not looking at her, but up to the stars above.

"This is the part where the celebration truly begins by dancing underneath the stars," he explained, looking down at her. His voice lowered down to a whisper. "Put your hand on my shoulder."

Rey wasn't sure why he gave her the instruction, but she obeyed, trying and failing to fight off a smile on her lips. "It's so pretty."

"Yes," Prince Ben said in his still cold tone. "It is."

The music began to play, and Rey didn't know what she was doing. Her feet followed his in tune to the beat. When he moved she followed. The pair swayed together. She sometimes stumbled, but Ben kept a firm grip on her so she didn't fall. He was stiff, very stiff in his stature, even as he pulled her flush against him to keep her from falling. Was she that terrible to dance with? Rey cursed Luke in her mind for not giving her lessons beforehand.

The lights danced around them, along with several other pairs. Rey caught a glimpse of Rose dancing with Hux, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of Prince Ben for long. His eyes were so intense. Too intense. It made her cheeks hot in the candlelights. He spun her around and she almost lost her footing, but his large hand tightened around her back and supported her as he dipped her low. She was speechless.

"Do you dance often, Highness?" she said without much thought once she recovered the breath in her lungs.

Prince Ben didn't flinch. Didn't make a single expression. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with her? Did she do something inappropriate? Was she not supposed to speak to him?

"No. I find dancing to be rather dull and a waste of one's time," he muttered.

Her shoulders sank, just a little.

"But…"

She tilted her head. "Yes?"

"Nothing, Princess _Kira_."

Hearing her fake name from his lips—oh those lips—it made her skin shudder. A small part of her wanted him to say her other name. But she wasn't Rey anymore. She was Princess Kira.

When the song ended he bent down and pressed a brief kiss to her hand. "Thank you, Your Highness," he said to her, his still dark-gaze upon her.

With that, he left the dance floor and headed towards the open balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben pls the cold strategy isn't gonna make her happy.
> 
> The dance scene was somewhat inspired by Pride and Prejudice.


	6. A Whole New World (Sort Of)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets swept off her feet.

_Chapter 6: A Whole New World (Sort Of)_

* * *

Luke watched on as his nephew with a stiff posture held Rey in his arms on the dance floor. It took far too much restraint for him to not raise his palm to his forehead in annoyance. He supposed he couldn't really blame the kid for being so awkward at romance—his parents were absolutely insufferable when they were trying to flirt with each other.

30 years and hardly anything has changed. As he walked by the side of Rey's carriage he had taken in the appearance of the capital. Rey was a scavenger from here and no doubt, Rey wasn't the only one. Luke spotted the hints of poverty in the way an old man laid on the side of a building in an alley. Some kids had no shoes in the crowds that formed to stare in awe at the carriage.

Leia would be a good queen. She cared very much about the treatment of people; yet, this didn't look like a kingdom under Leia's rule. Luke had a sinking feeling his absence led to this. There was a benefit to Rey's wish. Luke would get inside the palace to investigate. He couldn't stray very far from his lamp, but under the guise of Rey's wish extending to even accompany her to the festival of stars fell under the limits of the wish.

He made his way around the room with the tray, careful to keep the magic up of his disguise.

To his dismay, he found the one person whose mere presence explained everything. Vizier Snoke.

Snoke was observing the couple dance with red wine in his hand. Luke walked behind him, presenting the tray of white wine to passersby, including a group of dressed-down knights talking.

"Do you think Vizier Snoke would even approve of His Highness marrying her?"

"She doesn't strike me as the dim-witted type so of course not."

That made Luke take pause. Just how much influence did Snoke have in everything? He snuck a glance at his sister across the ballroom, watching the scene unfold with her husband with a hint of amusement on their faces.

Luke stopped himself from going to Leia. Not yet. He couldn't compromise everything for Rey. Rey made her wishes and Luke was to obey. To let Leia know of his existence would risk everything—he trusted Rey's instincts on his nephew and didn't want to lose that slip of hope.

When his nephew left Rey on the dance floor, he decided to pass by her.

"Well?"

Rey looked rather put out. "He doesn't seem to be interested in me like that."

Luke decided that his nephew was indeed an idiot. Or maybe Rey was too. A perfect match made across the heavens above.

Time to take matters into his own hands.

* * *

Rey sat on her bed, still wearing her dress and the sparkles in her hair at Luke's insistence. Whatever he was planning she wasn't in the mood for. She just wanted to shed the grandeur off and go to sleep in the softest bed imaginable.

"He was just so…" Rey rambled to Rose who was sitting on the couch combing her dark hair. "He was so distant. Nothing like Kylo. Ugh! Why did I even come here if he's just going to be as cold as a desert night."

Rose got up and placed a comforting hand on Rey's shoulder. "Aww, I'm sure he was just having an off day. Or he was so taken with how pretty you are he had no way to react."

Rey brushed a stray hair out of her face. "Yeah right. Probably doesn't even want to associate with a princess who can't even dance."

Luke walked back into her quarters, a hint of satisfaction on his lips. "I know where His Highness' rooms are."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt he wants to see me. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to go marching up to his quarters and ask to come in just to interrogate him? Especially for a lady?"

Luke tilted his head towards Carpet. "Who said you're going through his front door?"

Rey shook her head while Rose giggled. "No," Rey said with a firm tone. "I can just talk to him in the morning." And give him a piece of her mind.

"You're too stubborn. No wonder he likes you," Luke said in exasperation.

With a snap of his fingers, Rey hovered off the bed and into the familiar hold of Carpet. She stuck her lips out in a pout, glaring at Luke. "What do you want me to do? Even say? 'Oh hi Prince Ben, I was wondering why you hated me so much when I did nothing to you.'"

Rose only laughed harder. "That is actually perfect of a thing to say."

Rey's cheeks only flushed. "Not helping."

"I could go ask his advisor for you…"

The mere idea of Rose talking to Hux about her embarrassment on the dance floor was enough to make her tug at Carpet's silver tassels and urge out the balcony. "No thank you, Rose."

Luke pointed to a balcony on a higher up level of the palace. "That is his room. Just ask your questions and everything will be fine. Just be yourself."

Rey crossed her arms. "Be Princess Kira, got it."

He sighed. "Carpet please escort Her Highness out before I get a headache."

* * *

Ben walked alone back to his quarters. Dancing with Rey was pure agonizing torture. She was so beautiful and her freckles were adorable and her hazel eyes were so entrancing trying to maintain indifference to her was impossible. He had to work extra hard to pretend he wasn't gazing at her because he was utterly fascinated with her. So many questions he wanted to ask her. Ask why the pretty scavenger now bore a different title and different name. Why she had stolen his breath every time she spoke. Why she was so… Her.

He was stopped by Vizier Snoke outside his door.

"What do you think of Princess Kira, boy?" Snoke demanded in a firm tone.

Ben mustered up the strength to lie through his teeth. "She's just like any other princess."

"Hmm," Snoke stroked his chin. "Just remember your deal. I approve of who you marry. Put up this charade long enough to appease your meddling mother and all will go well, even if you're the fool who cost yourself the lamp."

"Yes, Master," Ben said, fingers twitching in anticipation of pain that never came. "Of course."

Snoke brushed by him and out of sight.

Ben entered his room and went straight to his mahogany desk near the doors to his balcony. He ran his hand through his loose strands of hair. His chest ached with pressure. His life determined from birth was shackled completely. No way would he even be allowed to marry someone like Rey. She was too fiery underneath all the protocol and glitter that lined her eyes.

He amused himself with his thoughts of her, his joy at realizing she was still alive and she was here. Ben needed to talk to her, alone, somehow. But he might not get the chance ever.

So he wrote her name, Princess Kira with sweeping black curls and loops. It was so wrong to him to put that name to paper, but that was what she was calling herself. He pulled out another sheet of thick textured paper—his favorite and most valuable—and wrote three letters instead.

Rey.

Effortless as breathing.

Ben looked up from the page and dropped his pen.

Out the window, standing on his balcony was _her_. How did she even get there? How? He stood up; blinking three times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He pushed open the doors and stood there, gaping at her.

The moonlight farmed Rey just so. The sparkles around her eyes danced with her freckles. A light breeze caressed her hair.

"Princess Kira," he breathed out. "How and why are you here?"

* * *

All her questions went out of her mind as soon as Prince Ben spoke. "Um, uh," Rey's tongue was very heavy to use now. "I uh, I wanted to talk to you. Alone."

Her irritation bubbled up as she remembered her ire at his cold behavior. "What exactly did I do wrong, Your _Highness_ ," she spat out. "Please enlighten me. I have never seen a man so cold he stared at me as if I killed his cat."

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. "I can explain—"

"Please do, Prince Ben."

His fingers trailed up to his hair. "Please, call me Ben."

"I will if you explain yourself."

He sighed. "Princess, I was trying to…" Rey could have sworn she saw pink on his pale cheeks. "Contain the fact I am madly infatuated with you."

She raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "Infatuated? You're… Serious?"

Rey expected Ben to look away in shame and regret, but instead, he took a step closer to her. She squirmed underneath his intense gaze. "Yes, I am."

Her knees were shaking. Her once-raging heart now thrummed with something else. Oh. _Oh._ "Oh," she said.

"I apologize for being so distant and cold to you, Princess. Please allow me to make it up to you."

Focus. She really had to focus. "You can start by answering my questions: who are you really, Ben?"

He tilted his head at her, locks of hair swaying with the simple movement. "I could ask the same of you, Princess _Kira_."

Her spine shuddered, not in fear. Oh no, it was quite the opposite. His tone had taken a lowered turn to match his passionate eyes. It did funny things to her pulse and her chest.

"But I won't."

She blinked. "What?"

"A gentleman doesn't pry into a princess' affairs, not right away. So ask your inquiries. It's the least I can do."

Rey bit her lip. She could have sworn Ben glanced at her mouth for one singular second. "Well," she began, not sure how she's supposed to phrase her question. "Do you enjoy the royal life?"

Without missing a beat he answered. "No."

"Why? You have everything you could ever want," she said, knowing full well she was playing ignorant. He was trapped.

He raised his hand up to her bare shoulder, his thumb caressing her freckles. "I didn't ask for this life."

Her heart clenched. It was just like when she met him, only she might get more out of it.

"Did they ever tell you what happened 30 years ago?" He pushed the subject. "Right before I was born?"

She racked her brain trying to remember. What did she know of the Alderaan royal family was mere rumor. "I…"

"No, they didn't. 30 years ago, my mother was crowned the Queen of Alderaan. She was never meant to be queen and I was never meant to be the crown prince. The heir to the throne, her twin brother, disappeared. He abandoned her and left her with a kingdom under fear and uncertainty. It was by a stroke of luck that my mother met my father when they did or else the crown would have gone to some other nobility."

A trace of bitterness when he mentioned his uncle did not go unnoticed by Rey. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

The weight of the crown was a lot to worry over. "I don't want to be a monarch," he said with a sigh and resignation in his voice. "I don't want to be trapped in here anymore."

"Then, why not give up the crown?"

"Stability. That's all it comes down to. I may hate the prospect of being king but I will not let my mother down."

There was something he wasn't letting in on, but of course, she respected it. To him, she's a new princess prying into his life. "They say the Vizier controls the city. Do you have anything to these claims?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Where did you hear this?"

"On the lips of passersby on my way here," she semi-lied. She heard all sorts of rumors, how many guards that roamed the palace, how the taxes of the wealthy were barely there, the poor lining Vizier Snoke's pockets. She thought it was all false and pinned the blame on Her Majesty for letting children go hungry. "There are children starving in your very streets."

"I know. And I don't know… Why. My mother loves children. Loves her people." He shifted his feet. "But Vizier Snoke has prevented Alderaan from invasions due to our sheer wealth and strength alone. He oversees the capital while my mother attends to other matters."

"What invasions?" Rey demanded. Where was this coming from? "Naboo is your ally. It has all the strength you need. I must ask," she crossed her arms. "What are the methods your vizier uses to gain such power and control over the city?"

Ben was silent, his brows tight in a line.

"You don't know, do you?" Rey questioned. "I wa—rode through your capital and there are no guards in places that should have guards. There is no place for children to go except the streets. They're starving and alone."

Her eyes glistened over. She blinked back the tears. "Loneliness is something I'm too aware of where I'm from."

Ben's hand trailed up her shoulder to her neck, his thumb brushing against her red dusted cheek. "You're not alone."

She leaned into the touch. "Neither are you." Her hand reached up to hold his. "Why are you…" she swallowed. "Why are you infatuated with me?"

He leaned forward with a smirk on his lips, whispering into her ear. "Because I wonder how one goes from living on the streets to being a princess, _Rey_."

Oh.

No.

Horror froze her on the spot.

What to do? What even to say? The magic… The magic. Luke said no one would recognize her so how did Ben figure her out? How? Just how?!

And why was he so unbearably close? Not that she didn't entirely mind but his proximity was clouding her thoughts.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she rushed out in one breath. "I am Princess Kira of—"

"Jakku, yes, I know. My mother used to tell me about that place as a child," Ben wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her ever closer to him, still smirking. "It was a place that was nowhere. Wiped off a map a long time ago."

She was going to kill Luke after this.

"How long did you know?" Rey questioned, resigned to accepting she'd been caught.

His thumb swept across her cheek again, his face betraying a hint of red. "The second I laid eyes upon you in the throne room."

Oh, that was even worse. So much worse.

"It should have worked…" she mumbled without a thought. The magic should have worked. Why did it fail her now? Why did it fail her the second she needed it?

"Rey," Ben tilted her chin up to look him in the eyes, "I'm not mad, just so you know." And then he did something she hadn't expected from him. He wrapped his large arms around her. "You're okay. You're _alive_."

Wait, he thought she was dead? "Why…" She cleared her throat; arms still limp at her sides.

"Snoke told me you were…"

Ah right. Snoke. He pulled back from the embrace to meet her furious frown. "He lied," she said, short and curt. Her blood boiled at the mere thought of Snoke's attempt to nab the lamp from her at the cost of her own life. And now he went and lied to Ben. She really wanted to punch the slime-bag in the face next time she saw him.

Ben snorted. "Obviously."

"He nearly had me killed in that cave you mentioned," she added. Ben's eyes narrowed.

"He… He wouldn't…"

"If he told you I was dead then what other proof is there, Ben?"

Something she said stopped him in his tracks. His breath was short, lips parted in awe. Rey reached her hand up to his face and brushed aside a stray strand of his hair.

"You're right," he finally spoke after a long minute of silence.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No, don't apologize. I need to process this first."

Her heart sank. Right. "Then… I should leave you to it." She shuffled out of his personal space and lifted her skirts up in preparation to climb onto the balcony railing. His hand grabbed her wrist before she could get very far.

"I didn't say you could leave, did I?" he whispered in her ear with a hint of amusement. "I owe you a favor for being so rude earlier."

With a slight squeak, she was whisked up into his arms. Large. Strong. He carried her like she was nothing. Her body was so warm. No one has ever held her like this in her life.

"Imagine if you carried me like this during the ball," she said with a smirk.

The blush on his cheeks was adorable. "I would never be able to live that down. My father would never let it go. My mother would ask about the wedding."

Now that was an image. Being able to see Ben every day for the rest of her life, being understood, and being listened to. To never want, to never long for again. She leaned against his shoulder. "Your parents sound like a delight."

"Enough about them, I want to know how you even got up here. I know you climb but in that dress?"

Feeling bold, she tilted her head up to kiss his cheek. "Magic carpet."

"You're joking…" He stopped mid-sentence as Carpet rose up from its hiding spot underneath the balcony. "That's… a very old relic. From centuries ago."

Who knew Ben was an academic on top of everything else? Then again she wasn't super surprised when he carried around some magical ruby in his palm.

Carpet flew down to the floor of the balcony. Ben moved to sit down on the silver-lined rug, still holding Rey in his arms. "I want to show you someplace if you want to," he mumbled.

Her heart leaped in her chest. She was still holding onto his collar, her other hand on the back of his neck. "Yes," she squeaked out.

Carpet lifted the two of them up. Ben spoke out directions on to where to go, which was up. And up. And up.

The palace was huge; Rey knew this from the countless nights she spent in her hobble in an abandoned and broken building—a relic of a past long forgotten—observing the lights illuminating the intricate and ornate architecture, towers scraping the sky. Seeing it up close and personal really settled in its size as they ascended. She felt as if she could reach out and brush her fingers against the spare clouds floating about in the night sky. The moon rose higher, casting a silver glow on Ben's beautiful face.

At the very top of the palace was a garden with vines and a fountain in the center of marble columns. The moonlight reflected off the rippling waters. A light scent of lilies graced Rey's nose as Carpet descended to the floor. Ben stretched his long legs out and released his hold on Rey's knees. She stepped down onto the white stone, her heels clicking. His hands were on her hips, keeping her steady and her face flushed.

Ben was a very touchy person, and Rey couldn't complain in the slightest. He stood up, towering over her as per usual. Even in slight heels, Rey stood no chance over his massive structure.

"What is this beautiful place?" Rey said as she glanced around the gardens, spotting a blue butterfly perched on a hanging vine.

"My grandmother's private gardens. Few people know about this place, not even Snoke knows. Sometimes I like to come up here to clear my head," he explained, staring at the statue in the golden fountain. The figure that graced it was a woman dressed in immaculate robes and braided her hair up in a large headdress. Blue flowers grew in her hands.

"Is that her?" Rey questioned.

Ben nodded. "Yes, that's her. My grandfather commissioned that statue after she passed."

"That's so sweet," Rey gushed. The implications of Ben showing her this place weren't lost on her. Only his family and a select few knew about this garden. It felt so intimate to even be here. She wasn't a part of the royal family; she didn't belong here. But Ben, Ben felt the need to bring her here. To share his private sanctuary with her… He trusted her, even after she tried to deceive him and failed miserably.

There was something so bewitching about how he figured her out so fast. How he just took one look at her and _knew_. He was alluring to her, the multiple facets of his personality of snark and gentleness just made her, in simple terms, content. Safe.

To hell with Snoke for treating Ben so terribly.

He extended his hand out her once more. "May I have this dance, Princess?"

His tone was so warm. So delightfully soft. She took it without hesitation. "Yes."

He held her in very much the same way as he did in the ballroom, but he was much more relaxed. She had to admit, she was too. It was considerably easier to release tension as she was not trying to impress anyone or fake her abilities as a princess. No one else was looking at her this time. Only Ben.

Only _him_.

* * *

It was like something clicked in his mind upon seeing her, a vision in the moonlight upon his balcony. Ben had no reason to hide away underneath a mask this time. Much like in her loft, posing as a man named Kylo, Ben allowed himself to speak. Not the prince who tripped over himself earlier was speaking anymore. He carried shades of awkwardness from his lack of experience no doubt, but this felt so natural to him now.

Rey was easy to talk to, even if his words were anything but easy to say.

Though he found it so amusing to watch her _shiver_ from saying her real name. Pull away her attempt at a ruse. He had no idea when his impulsive nature ran wild, but he was glad it did.

And now she was here, in his arms, in his grandmother's private gardens. The one woman who understood him, who knew him. She was alive and safe, right here, right now.

Her eyes twinkled in the glow of the night. Her hands—so dainty despite being rough from her hardships—wrapped around his neck, her fingers entangled in his hair. His blood rushed every time he felt her bare skin—whether it was her shoulders, her forearms, her midriff.

"So," she spoke as they swayed to only the sound of a gentle pour of water of the fountain. "What do you like to do in your spare time, Ben?"

He swore his breathing stopped every time she said his name. It was far, far too intimate coming from her. Delightful, delicious, a caress to his ears.

"I write letters upon a page. Calligraphy. It calms me." He was not about to say that she also calmed him too.

"Can you show me sometime?"

"I'll think about it," he said as he dipped her. She wasn't short by any means, but she was so small in his hands. Lifting her back up slowly, she alleviated her weight by tugging herself up. The result was their faces incredibly close together.

Did her eyes dart to his lips? No, he was just imagining things.

He pulled back away from her. No way she wanted to…

"We should return. It's late," he said, voice strained.

Rey almost looked disappointed.

* * *

Did Ben just… No, that was crazy. Rey was imagining things.

Once again, he had picked her up into his arms and Carpet carried them back to Ben's balcony. He set her down on her feet, his fingers lingering on her shoulders just a second longer before he took a step back.

"You should sleep," he said. "I wanted to…" He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. "I wanted to invite you to mid-morning tea if that's alright with you."

She swallowed, giving a slight nod. "Yes."

"Good, um… I will see you tomorrow then?"

She climbed onto Carpet on her knees. Her skirts pooled around her in waves of silk and gossamer. Carpet lifted into the air, conveniently putting her at Ben's height, face to face. "Yes, um, goodnight," she mumbled out.

Ben was so achingly close to her all of a sudden. She tugged at Carpet's silver tassel in annoyance—the damn rug was doing this on purpose. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared with wide-eyed fascination at his mouth. Rey gave up trying to hide it. She was so captivated by his gorgeous lips; she always had been.

Taking a chance, she reached up with her fingers and stroked his cheek, brushing aside some loose strands of his dark curls. His intense eyes bore into hers even as his nose brushed her own. Wait, when did they get _this_ close?

"Goodnight," he whispered, their breaths mingling.

Rey decided that she took many chances today just coming to his front doorstep.

What was one more?

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Rey was rendered breathless and everything was spinning. Somehow his large hand was on the side of her neck, keeping her position steady. The chaste press of lips on lips turned into something more. He took over the kiss, moving lips against hers and tugging at her lower lip slightly. She kissed back even with her obvious lack of experience, finding he tasted of something delightful—a tart but sweet fruit she never had before. His thumb gently rubbed circles under her chin and his free hand clasped her own.

Ben broke the kiss, subjected to the same breathless fate as Rey. Her face was so warm to the touch, her chest throbbing. No one could say that Ben didn't give his all in every action and every emotion. His passion left her reeling and aching for more.

"Sleep well," he muttered with a small smile.

"You too, Ben," she said, reciprocating his smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disney romances dictate that idiocy is only allowed for so long XD. (Also somehow Ben got game)
> 
> Inspiration for this chapter was the song [Anata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMAwbQUGERg) by Utada Hikaru (because yes I'm that person lol) and of course, I did not fail to notice AD's kissing habits involving the neck... (I blame twitter for dirtying my mind like this)
> 
> Next chapter we going back to the obvious plot in the room that needs resolving XD.


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